I went for Mass this morning and the homily that Fr Martin did give was very interesting. He touched on the subject about concentrating on making others happy. He said, let us not worry too much about making ourselves happy.

So I decided to share this video. I would like to add here that it is important for us always to have a smile that we could share for it does not cost us to SMILE at others. To give someone a smile, give them a kind and encouraging word, an embrace if they need one would definitely not cost us anything. It is FREE TO GIVE and if we could make others happy – Why not! My experience is that when I make others happy, then it surely proves that I am happy and then because I am happy, I could share that happiness with others. We should be there for others and it is important for us to let them know that we will always be there for them.

Another important point – if we are there for others, then you can be sure that they will be there for you and even if they are not or unable to be there for us, it still does not matter. What matters is THAT WE ARE THERE FOR OTHERS and that their happiness MATTERS TO US.

So, let this MISSION be ours today – TO MAKE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING HAPPY. Wow! this makes me happy. When we decide to make others happy, we can be sure that we will not work at MAKING OTHER UNHAPPY!

This is a season where we are waiting for Baby Jesus to enter our hearts, our homes, our families, our neighbourhood, our parishes, our communities. our state, our country and the entire world. How can He do that? When we keep our hearts opened to the Word of God, Listen to Him speak in the silence of our hearts, when we look around and visit the Nativity Scenes, Hear and participate in singing Carols, Go shopping for others to make them happy, Visit the poor and the sick, the homeless, the lonely and more importantly prepare our hearts to receive Him in Holy Communion on Christmas Day. Hence, we are all called to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially if we have not approached the Sacrament for a very, very long time.

So let us prepare our hearts to receive Baby Jesus this Christmas and more importantly, let us make our hearts so beautiful to present it to Baby Jesus as HIS GIFT.

Luke 1:30-31And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, foryou have found favor with God.And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, andyou shall call his name Jesus.

Isaiah 52:7-9 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 8Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. 9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Isaiah 11:1There shall come forth a shoot from the stump ofJesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Luke 2:12Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a babywrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Matthew 1:21She will bear a son, andyou shall call his name Jesus,for he will save his people.

To those who are sick in hospitals, nursing homes, sick at home and in agonising and excruciating pain. Is it possible for such people to praise and thank God. For those who are suffering terrible and excruciating pain, it is highly impossible to be praising God during that time but your love for God is above all others, then your soul is in the Presence of God. That is what is important. Loving God all the time even without saying One Word out loud. There is one thing I would like to tell you all. When you are suffering excruciating pain, and you know that you love God above all else then, I am sure that God is very much aware of how much you love Him and YOU CAN BE SURE THAT YOU ARE IN HIS EMBRACE. Suffering, Happy, Sad, Laughing, Dancing, Crying, Smiling – whatever you may be doing – if you love God above all else, you can be sure that you will be FOREVER IN HIS EMBRACE and that is the safest place to be at all times.

Matthew 5:9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Philippians 4:6-7do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There are a few scriptural quotes on PEACE. It is very necessary for every individual to have Peace in mind, soul and body, so let us begin from today to be Agents of God’s Peace.

If Our God IS for us, then who can be against us? Do we realise that Our God is Our Everlasting God. Man will come and go but God is FOREVER. He is the Alfa and the Omega – The Beginning and the End. Those who wait on the Lord, will be renewed in their spirit and we will never be the same. Our God is the Greatest. We must believe in Him and in Him alone.

Yes, we wait upon the Lord, for He reigns forever. He is the Everlasting God and He is Faithful. He is Our Lifter and our Provider. What is it that you need today. Ask and you will receive. Ask with faith and it will be given to you – Never doubt, for God wants us to be happy and He wants to meet our needs every day and every moment of our lives. With Christ Jesus we cannot fail, except if we quit. We must always believe that we are moving forward. We should not be quitters but we should be learners because it is going to be alright for the Everlasting God is with us. When problems comes our way, we become despondent and we forget the God who created this whole universe. Our God is our creator. How amazing is our God. Everyday, we are learning the lessons of life. Everyday is a living experience. We do have good times and bad times but we must remember that God is for us and He is constantly blessing us. So, we should begin to COUNT OUR BLESSINGS.

What we have today is exactly what God wants us to have. Our family, our friends,a job – even it is a small one, a roof over our heads, our meals and clothes that we wear. We should take what we have and make the most out of it. We must believe that God has equipped us to live today. Today is what I have and I must live today to the fullest. We are called to live every moment doing what God wants me to do and to be happy in His love , trusting in Him alone. I must believe that Our God is on the Throne and whatever He has given me today, is all that I need for today. When the moment comes, God will give me much more.

We must remember that we are Precious in God’s eyes. Let us go deep into the words, PRECIOUS. Precious means something of great price and high value. How many of us really and truly believe that we are something of GREAT PRICE AND HIGH VALUE. God is calling each one of us to believe in Him and in ourselves. David had a sling and a few small stones and with this he conquered Goliath. He did not wear any armour. If did, he might have lost the battle because it would have weighed him down. So what he had was the best to fight Goliath. So we must put on our armour of faith, love and especially trust in God. With this, God will take us places that we never dreamed of.

God gave us Jesus Christ and He dwells in our hearts. With Him, we are achievers and believe me, what you and I have today, is what God wants us to have. Tomorrow is another day and if we are lacking tomorrow, God will come and breathe on the little that we have and make it PLENTY FOR US. If we use what God has given us, He will multiply what we have and bless what we have. With God, we will never be in want. If we do not have today, tomorrow God will give us more and we will be in a position to help others. We must believe that we are UNIQUE and SPECIAL – There is no one on this whole wide earth who can ever be like me, like you. So, I must be me and you must be you. We must do what God wants us to do. What he has given us today is what we need for today. Remember, tomorrow is another day. God has given us what we need to do today according to His Holy Will and we must rejoice that we have today. This morning we woke up while many did not. What we have today is LIFE, so let us live it doing what God wants me to do today.

I would like to remind you that you and I are God’s MASTER PIECE – So let us go about today knowing that ‘I AM GOD’S MASTER PIECE’ and there is no one else like me. I am Unique and Special and remember that we are the children of God and that we lack nothing. Let us live today knowing that we are PRICELESS. Wow! this is so comforting.

The answer to both questions is no—although in many passionate debates generated by this topic, we are quick to dismiss objectivity. In reality, these questions provide a smoke screen to a much bigger problem that is pervasive in our society, in religious circles, politics, and clinical settings. The problem I speak of is the idea that homosexuality is an identity.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that every individual must “acknowledge and accept his sexual identity” (no. 2333). This refers to the “physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity” of both genders which are “oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life” (Ibid.). At the most basic level, our identity is rooted in the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God—”Male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27).

I used to believe I was a “gay” person. I had been attracted to the same gender for as long as I could remember. Because this attraction was present from early on in my life, without my conscious choice, I concluded that I must have been born this way. After all, that’s a logical conclusion . . . right?

The attraction I had to the same gender when I was a little boy was normal and similar to what many boys experience. Boys look for heroes, role models who they respect and want to emulate. For me, the attraction to men started out with normal admiration but then began to take some dysfunctional turns. As a child, I was often made fun of and told by my peers that I wasn’t like them. This made me question what the difference between us was. At this point, shades of covetousness characterized my admiration. I secretly wondered, “If I looked like so-and-so, would I be accepted?”

In puberty, this attraction or admiration became eroticized. The derogative homosexual label was given to me by my peers, and I yielded to their accusations because I truly did have a sexualized same-sex attraction. Eventually, I embraced this label and called myself “gay.”

Although I didn’t freely choose same-sex attractions, I did willfully choose to act upon them. My decision to sin brought me intense pain, loneliness, and—worst of all—separation from God. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explained this reality in a statement that observed, “As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood.”[1]

Eventually, in my brokenness, I responded to the Lord’s loving call to forgiveness and healing. He has brought me through the valley of shame and out of the darkness of my past and shined His light of truth upon the many lies I believed about myself—especially the one that claimed that I was a “gay” person.

Defining Terms

By defining myself as a “gay” male, I had taken on a false identity. Any label such as “lesbian,” “bisexual,” or even “homosexual” insinuates a type of person equivalent to male or female. This is simply not true. One is not a same-sex attraction, but instead experiences this attraction.

In his book, Growth into Manhood, Alan Medinger shows that homosexual tendencies and behaviors have been around for thousands of years, but the idea of a homosexual identity only began to evolve about 150 years ago with the emergence of the term “homosexual.”[2]

In a later study, Medinger further demonstrates his findings, revealing a number of untruths that tend to surface when one accepts homosexuality as an identity:

I must have been born this way.

If I was born that way, God made me this way.

If God made me this way, how can there be anything wrong with it?

It’s in my nature and I must be true to my nature.

If it’s my nature, I can’t change.

If I try to change I would be trying to go against my nature and that would be harmful. +Accepting myself as gay feels so good—I feel like a thousand pound load has been lifted off of my back—so it must be okay.

If people can’t accept my being gay, then something is wrong with them.

If people can’t accept my being gay, then they don’t accept me because that’s who I am.[3]

When I read these, I was floored. I believed each and every statement deep down to my core. When I was engaged in this lifestyle, it made perfect sense to go along with what felt natural. However, it was logical only because it appeared to be truth. In reality, lies had to be built upon lies for them to add up to something with the semblance of truth.

I believed I was gay. But I was also certain that I didn’t choose this for myself, and so I believed that God must have made me this way. However, Scripture verses like the following made no sense in light of my feelings: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them” (Lev. 20:13).

How could a God of love create me this way and then condemn me to hell? I began to do what many other Christians struggling with same-sex attraction do and searched for “pro-gay” theologies for explanations. I desperately wanted to be in a loving relationship with the same gender, but at the same time, I had a gnawing feeling in my heart that this was wrong.

Time for Truth

Looking back, I believe that my search for truth and struggle against accepting this lifestyle was ultimately the way in which the Holy Spirit convicted me. Still, this gnawing feeling—that same-sex attraction was not God’s plan for my life—was not easy for me to reconcile with because I believed that my sexuality alone was my identity.

Ignorance of this distinction is dangerous. My false beliefs regarding my identity deterred me from accepting the conviction in my heart from the Holy Spirit. St. Paul acknowledged this very same process, explaining:

Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator . . . God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error (Rom. 1:25-27).

Only after I accepted the truth that acting on homosexual attractions was a sin did I begin to ask for the strength and the grace to carry that cross—and the Lord abundantly poured these upon me. Several years later, He showed me that homosexuality was a false identity that I had embraced. And at this point, my integral healing began as I searched out who I really was. My reflections led me to the discovery that I never truly believed I was a man, and yet I didn’t think I was a woman. In that searching process, I realized that I did not fully identify with either gender.

Through the sacraments—especially the Eucharist—as well as counseling, spiritual healing retreats, and much prayer, Christ revealed to me that I am a man. I have many masculine traits that I was never aware I possessed—such as courage and strength. I can never adequately express the tremendous joy I felt when I began to internally recognize and accept the fact that I am a man, I am masculine, and I do belong in the world of men. At the same time this recognition occurred to me, my attraction to men continued to decrease drastically and my attraction to women increased.

Identity and the Church

At the beginning of this article, I mentioned the discussion over whether persons are born homosexual or if they choose to be. Neither is true because same-sex attraction is an experience—not a type of person. Accepting homosexuality as an identity, which has largely been affirmed in our culture, brings so much confusion. In order for a Christian to justify homosexual behavior, he or she needs to alter and contort Sacred Scripture.

Many individuals from within are trying to force the Catholic Church to change her stance toward homosexuality because it seems like discrimination against those who are just “being themselves.” But it is not discrimination when we identify and seek to correct falsely held beliefs.

The problem has not just effected those dissenting in our Church. There are very good Catholics and even good priests who wrongly assert that people cannot change their sexual orientation. These people may have the best of intentions, but for whatever reason they have bought into the lie that homosexuality is a type of person.

The Church’s response to those suffering with same-sex attraction offers us this perspective:

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition (CCC, no. 2358).

There is hope for those who have same-sex attraction, and we must not abandon efforts to help others understand the truth. This is not to say that God will “change” His creation, the person, because He did not make them this way or intend for them to experience this attraction. Rather, God can change the person’s way of thinking by revealing the lie that the individual has accepted and assimilated into their sense of self.

Once the lie is exposed, wounds that led to this lie such as abuse, rejection, or lack of affirmation in one’s gender identity can be addressed, healing can begin, and the person’s true identity can emerge. When this healing process begins, the attraction to the opposite sex for many has increased.

Courage, the Catholic support group for those with same-sex attraction, as well as many Christians, refrain from using words such as “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” “transgender,” or even “homosexual.” Words can have powerful effects. Because these words are labels which insinuate that homosexuality is an identity, they reinforce untruths and continue to escalate the problems in our society and our Church. As Catholic Christians, I encourage each of us to be careful with our speech and eliminate the use of labels and instead use the words “same-sex attraction” which more accurately describe the experience that these men and women go through.

Heart Knowledge

Earlier, I spoke of the importance of recognizing that I am a man and feeling it internally within my heart. Fr. Larry Richards’ challenging book Be a Man! helped me obtain even deeper healing. Intellectually, I knew that God was my Heavenly Father, but I didn’t really know and believe it with my whole being. And then I read the following passage in Fr. Larry’s book:

When we were baptized, the sky opened up just like it did upon Jesus, and spiritually, God the Father, the Creator of the universe, looked at you and me and said, ‘You are my beloved Son.’ You stopped being a creation and you became a son of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.[4]

Talk about the power of words! In Jesus, we are sons and daughters of the Creator of the universe. He truly loves us more than we could ever imagine. This is our true identity; this is who each of us truly is.

Isaiah 43:4 states, “You are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you. . . .” Fr. Larry brought this verse home to me in a very personal way by explaining:

We must enter into a relationship with God knowing that truth. We must know that our relationship begins where Jesus began, with the knowledge that we are loved by the Father. The God of the universe looks at you and says: ‘I love you!’[5]

This touched me deeply. Before this inner healing took place, I had known with certainty that God loved everyone. But when it came to Him loving me personally, I only knew this intellectually— not in my heart. Fr. Larry helped me to connect this truth from my head to my heart.

I am grateful to God for showing me my true identity in Him. Now, I embrace my masculinity and know that I am a man of God. In Jesus, I know I am a beloved son of God who is uniquely and wondrously created, and whose name is David.

[1] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Some Considerations Concerning the Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons,” July 22, 1992, no. 3.

I would like to comment on the above testimony. I think that many Catholics and Christians are suffering like the way David Prosen suffered. I thank God that he delivered David from this lie. God creates everyone with great love and tenderness and Everyone is very ‘SPECIAL’ TO HIM.

Circumstances in life allow many individuals to believe themselves to be Gay or Lesbian. This is a lie and I hope that many people who reads David’s testimony will have an eye opener and will seek for help at their nearest Catholic or Christian Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ will bless all people who are suffering from this notion and will bring them back to full and complete health. Jesus Christ will give you New Life and you can live in peace and happiness once again.

There are many people in this world who live to destroy others, though not wilfully. They do many things without thinking as to what drastic effects it could have on the persons concerned. I think people who are teased in this manner are very brave and I am sure that when they seek help and they are eventually healed in emotionally, these people could work for the Lord in avery powerful way and they can work in this particular ministry – Guiding and bringing people who think they are Gay or Lesbian back to Christ Jesus and to be normal once again in their thoughts, words and deeds.I can assure people that I will be praying for them.
I give below the following quotes:

1. We cannot do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.

St. Thomas

Feast Day: July 03Born: (around the time of Jesus) :: Died:(around) 72 AD

Thomas was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Thomas in the Syriac language means “twin.” St. Thomas loved Jesus very much. Once when Jesus was going to face the danger of being killed, the other apostles tried to hold Jesus back. But St. Thomas said to them, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”When Jesus was captured by his enemies, Thomas lost his courage and ran away with the other apostles. It broke his heart when Jesus died. Then on Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to his apostles after he had risen from the dead but Thomas was not with them. As soon as he arrived, the other apostles told him joyfully, “We have seen the Lord.” They thought Thomas would be happy. Instead, he did not believe them.”Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails,” he said, “and put my finger in the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later when Jesus appeared to his apostles again, Thomas was there, too. Jesus called him and told him to touch his hands and the wound in his side. Poor St. Thomas! He fell down at Jesus’ feet and cried out, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

After Pentecost, Thomas was strong and firm in his belief and trust in Jesus. He took the mission he was given seriously and went to Parthia, Persia and India to preach the Gospel. He was killed by his enemies while kneeling in front of a cross and praying. He died a martyr there, after many people became followers of Jesus.

My dear Viewers, I wish you and your families A Very Happy and Holy Easter. May the Risen Lord bless each one of you with countless blessings and draw you closer to Himself. He has given us new life. A life of Faith, Hope and Love.
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus Christ is victorious and we are victorious in Him. He has risen and filled our hearts with love, joy and peace. We, His people should now meet our neighbour and proclaim the good news. We should reach out to one another in love and kindness. We should be ready to encourage one another and help them in their difficulties.

We should pray more because prayer is communicating with God. We speak and then we listen to what the Lord has to say to us and live according to His Holy Word.

About

Hi! My name is Florence D’Costa. I am a Catechist in my Parish in Melbourne, Australia. I also consider myself to be an evangeliser and hence, I have this great yearning in my heart to Evangelise and to talk about Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I have started this blog to express some of the things that I think is important and I hope that my readers both Catholics, Christians and others, would benefit.

I have studied scripture for five years and I was trained in teaching scripture. I have in turn taught scripture for one year to a group of the faithful who have been yearning to learn the Word of God. I was also trained in performing skits, write poems, stage on the spot dramas from stories in the bible and evangelise through dance and song.

I am also an Actress and a Singer and I belong to two Theatre Groups – COG Theatre Group and Amuse Threatre Group. We, in COG Theatre perform Christian Musicals to promote Jesus Christ. We train and teach cast members to become better performers and also to realise that they have been created for a specific purpose in life. In Amuse Theatre Group, we help cast members to become better people with a purpose and aim in life. When we stage plays, we reach out to the audience with a message which would stir them to become better people – people with a purpose in life!

By profession, I am a Civil Celebrant and I help people to celebrate any occasion.

I have a talent to make people happy. Happiness and joy come from Our Lord Jesus Christ. What I have freely received, I freely give. I have a flair for writing and I will try my best to help people to the best of my ability.

DAILY OFFERING PRAYER

God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer you my prayers, thoughts,words, actions, joys, and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the Salvation of the World. May the Holy Spirit, who guided Jesus, be my Guide and my Strength today so that I may witness to your love. With Mary, the Mother of our Lord and of the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for this month's intentions by the Holy Father. Amen

Pope's Prayer Intention - - Young People: That young people may respond generously to their vocations and seriously consider offering themselves to God in the priesthood or consecrated life.|read the reflection|

Urgent Intention - Landslide Victims/Peace: Victims of the landslide in Colombia and peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela, and Paraguay.

PRAYER OF ST ANTHONY OF PADUA

(Parents could say this prayer in their child's room and they could sprinkle their room with Holy Water if their child has nightmares. The same could be done even if teenagers or adults have nightmares.)

"Behold the Cross of the Lord! Begone, you evil powers! The
Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.
Allelulia!"

A Litany of St. Michael

Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
[Repeat pray for us after each invocation]
Holy Mary, Queen of the Angels,
St. Michael, the Archangel,
Most glorious attendant of the Triune Divinity,
Standing at the right of the altar of Incense,
Ambassador of Paradise,
Glorious Prince of the Heavenly armies,
Leader of the Angelic hosts,
The standard-bearer of God’s armies,
Defender of Divine glory,
First defender of the Kingship of Christ,
Strength of God,
Invincible Prince and warrior,
Angel of Peace,
Guide of Christ,
Guardian of the Catholic Faith,
Champion of God’s people,
Guardian Angel of the Eucharist,
Defender of the Church,
Protector of the Sovereign Pontiff,
Angel of Catholic action,
Powerful intercessor of Christians,
Bravest defender of those who hope in God,
Guardian of our souls and bodies,
Healer of the sick,
Help of those in their agony,
Consoler of the Souls in Purgatory,
God’s messenger for the souls of the just,
Terror of the evil spirits,
Victorious in battle against evil,
Guardian and Patron of the universal Church,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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TRADITIONAL DAILY OFFERING

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,I offer You my
prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart; the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

A PRAYER OF BLESSING

The Lord Bless you and protect you;

The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Amen.

A SORRY PRAYER

O my God, I am sorry for all my sins
Because they displease Thee who art all good
And deserving of all my love
And with Thy help I will sin no more.

Prayer to St. Michael

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.